ARMS control is a process which has undergone very radical
change since 1990. In essence it has become, in the East-West
context, dialogue, rather than the counting of weaponry-though
with the possibility of unilateral action on reductions. In the North-
South context the main concern has become non-proliferation.

As regards supplier constraints, there are agreements, such
as the NPT and BTWC which limit proliferation whilst being
recognizable as arms-control arrangements. Under these, the
parties agree not to supply, nor to seek to acquire, the capability
concerned. On the other hand, there are also a number of regimes,
not based on treaties, which seek to impose constraints upon the
supply of weapons of mass destruction, or the potential to create
them, without any link to formal arms-control treaties. Classic
examples here are the MTCR and the Australia Group. In essence
these are arrangements between supplier countries to limit and
control transfer to others by national legislation.

Certain new potential restraining regimes, or contributions
towards such regimes, are under consideration at the moment--
for example, the discussions amongst the five permanent members
of the UN Security Council. These may be expected to focus
mainly on conventional weaponry, whose proliferation is not
otherwise generally covered, rather than on weapons of mass
destruction. However, we can expect to hear calls for restraint
in all forms of proliferation whenever statesmen are gathered
together for summits or multilateral exchanges.

In this chapter, I shall consider arms control and supplier constraints in turn, and attempt to provide a UK perspective on the

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This chapter represents the author's own views, and is not a statement of UK
government policy.

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